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Saturday, October 3, 2015

Falling into October

Reading

During reading, the second graders will continue to read independently and practice reading comprehension skills! Be sure to ask your child about Asking and Answering Questions, Character's Challenges and their Response, and overall story elements (characters, setting, problem, solution, etc). In addition, students will begin learning about text features (bold words, glossary, index, table of contents, photographs, captions, etc). Students should become more familiar with the ways that text features help a reader understand their non-fiction books.

Math

During math, students will continue to practice place value (hundreds, tens, ones) and will be able to use different strategies to determine the value of a number. Students should be familiar with standard form (728),

written form (seven hundred twenty eight), expanded form (700 + 20 + 8) and a base ten model (7 flats, 2 longs, and 8 one's cubes). Students will use the different representations to compare the values of three digit numbers within 1,000! Students will also begin learning about graphing. They will learn how to use bar graphs and picture graphs to analyze their data. This will include sorting instruments, food types, colored tiles, and other similar items.

Writing

During writing, students have spent a majority of the year writing about themselves (personal narratives) and their own personal experiences. They have learned to look at a larger memory in their lives and focus on a smaller part of it. For example, the student may have been excited about a birthday party, but were then asked to concentrate on one moment at that party (like cutting the cake, popping a balloon, or hitting a pinata). For the remainder of the quarter students will begin writing informational texts about topics that are important to them, as well as, writing opinions about why those topics are so important!

Science

In Science, the students have been learning a lot about rocks, soil, and water! Your child should be familiar with the water cycle and the importance of maintaining clean water! Some students designed an experiment to aid them in cleaning up an "oil spill" by using droppers, filters, and other cleaning materials. Many of them recognized that the challenge was difficult because as they used materials to clean the oil, they actually made the water even more dirty! Talk to your child about the importance of keeping the water safe.

Social Studies

During Social Studies, students have brainstormed reasons that rules and procedures are important! They've identified the purpose of following directions and have explored various ways to react to situations. These lessons are geared towards building a collaborative classroom, but they are also useful in teaching the students about democracy. Students are also learning about American Symbols and what those symbols represent for the United States. Ask your child about some of the U.S. symbols (Liberty Bell, Statue of Liberty, US Flag, and even a few songs about America).